Anušić: Exercise Sava Star Strengthens the Alliance Between the Republic of Croatia and the United Kingdom

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, H.E. Javed Patel, attended the official presentation of the International Military Exercise Sava Star 25 today, 1 October 2025, at the “Gašinci” military range in Gašinci.

During coordinated exercise, the audience observed a manoeuvre to seize the opposing positions conducted jointly by the Croatian and British armed forces.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić stressed that, through their participation in the international military exercise Sava Star, the British and Croatian Armed Forces are demonstrating their knowledge, skills and capabilities.

“I would like to emphasise that Croatia, and in particular the Ministry of Defence, seeks to strengthen and enhance ties and cooperation with the United Kingdom. In the situation, in which we all find ourselves in, the United Kingdom clearly supports Croatian policy, and Croatia supports the policy of the United Kingdom,” said Minister Anušić.

In conclusion, Minister Anušić stated that in his bilateral talks with Ambassador H.E. Javed Patel, they agreed upon the need to strengthen communication, joint projects and cooperation between the British and Croatian Armed Forces.

The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid, explained that in this joint exercise, the Croatian and British Armed Forces formed a combined multinational battalion-level unit with a multinational command.

“This exercise demonstrated the unified operation of the Croatian and British Armed Forces. The aim of such exercises is to standardise procedures to enable the forces to conduct joint manoeuvre operations,” said General Kundid.

The Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, H.E. Javed Patel, expressed his satisfaction with the exercise and stated: “Strengthening the partnership between the United Kingdom and Croatia in the field of defence is one of my key priorities. This exercise forms an important part of our cooperation and, given the challenging security situation, I believe that such exercises are important for ensuring a timely response to potential threats.”

The British Defence Attaché to Croatia, Andrew Higgs, expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation between the British and Croatian Armed Forces demonstrated at the international military exercise Sava Star.

The International Military Exercise Sava Star 25 is being conducted from 18 September to 5 October 2025 at the “Gašinci” military range in Gašinci. It brings together 120 members of the Croatian Armed Forces and 80 members of the British Armed Forces.

The Sava Star international military exercise has been conducted since 2013 as part of bilateral military cooperation between the Croatian Armed Forces and the British Armed Forces. The aim of the exercise is to improve interoperability, both technical and procedural, and to test and standardise tactics against modern threats.